Portland Mayor Sam Adams set Wednesday's vote -- which allows Portland to spend $1.7 million on planning, on top of $450,000 already authorized -- to emphasize the city's commitment to the "living building" near Portland State University in advance of a meeting Thursday of city officials, university administrators and legislators.

Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish voted no, saying they were uncomfortable with the risk to Portland's general fund. They like the concept of the building, however, which would incorporate strict standards for green construction, highlight local businesses in the clean-energy industry and house PSU classrooms.

Supporters say other cities would look to Portland for inspiration in the growing field of sustainability -- copying and learning from the seven-story building at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Montgomery Street. Aside from financing, critics worry that untested technology could drain maintenance budgets.

As of Wednesday, the city had promised land near PSU, rent for one portion of the building and $13 million toward construction. Portland would own about 25 percent of the building, the state the rest; but both would equally share financial risks.

"I believe this is a great deal for the Oregon University System," Fritz said. "It's not such a great deal for taxpayers of Portland."

Commissioner Dan Saltzman put conditions on his support. "There's much that excites me. There's much that makes me nervous," he said. "This is not a project at any cost, despite how exciting it is."

The City Council will weigh in again next year on the final details, once developers have a guaranteed maximum price for construction.

Here's a look at the sticking points:

What is the financial risk to the city?

Forty percent of the 130,000-square-foot building would be leased to nonprofits and retailers.

Portland and the university system have tentative lease agreements from the Oregon Environmental Council and Earth Advantage Institute. The city and the university system would share the financial risk -- an estimated $30,000 to $280,000 a year for the first 10 years of the project -- if those leases or others fall through or don't bring in top rent.

Fish said that gave him "heartburn." He also called the ownership structure "out of whack."

What are the costs beyond the $62 million construction?

Adams would like Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to move to the center, which could open in about 2014. That move would cost $2.7 million to $4.5 million. Also, rent at the center would be higher, costing the bureau $175,000 more a year.

Portland officials also want to move Portland Streetcar tracks so they cut through the center's block. That would cost $4 million, half from the city and the South Park Blocks urban-renewal zone and half from a state grant.

What would happen to the bureau's current home?

The 100-employee bureau occupies Portland's 1900 Building, which the city shares with PSU. Adams has said he wants to sell the building, which Portland will owe money on until 2018, to PSU. But he said Wednesday that that is a separate discussion. "This does not tie our hands in any way," Adams said. Fish said the two decisions should be made together.

Why is the mayor calling the center an equity initiative?

The building would provide jobs for minority contractors, supporters say. Jo Ann Hardesty, the former state lawmaker previously known as Jo Ann Bowman, audibly scoffed at this notion. She said equity appears in the plan "as a word, not as an action."

Saltzman asked: Will the city sell naming rights to the building?

"For the right price," said Lew Bowers, central city division manager for the Portland Development Commission. That prompted Fish to suggest "Saltzman Center" as a possibility.